Page 72 of Mistaken Magic

Hawke'sfeatures were harder, his eyes more piercing, but he was broader than the others.Notmuch, since the fae came in different shades of lithe instead of bulky.Theproblem wasIhadn't figured out yet how to ignore their good looks.Torian,Wilder,Hawke, andKeirwere all just different shades of sexy.

Butthis was supposed to be a party.Itwas my chance to meet some people and make a few new friends.Takinga bigger drink from my cup,Icould feel a nice little glow from this stuff.Itwas too sweet to drink too fast, but still tasted pretty good.Iwandered around for a bit, stopping to talk to facesIrecognized.Theyintroduced me to more, andIkept going.

Whenmy cup was finally empty,Aspenappeared with another.Hereyes were as glassy as mine felt, but since no teachers were heading down to break this up,Idecided it must be ok.Acceptingthe drink,Ilifted it out toward where her brother was once again manning the music.

"Ithink your guy friends were hitting on me,"Isaid.

Aspenlaughed. "Oh, they are.Noquestion about it.Prettysure they're going to start trying to one up each other soon."

"Toriantried to pick a fight withKeir,"Isaid.

Aspengroaned. "Whydo guys have to think with their dicks?So, you're intoKeir?"

"I'minto enjoying all of this,"Itold her. "Forthe first time,I'mpretty sureIwon't be moving beforeIget to know people.Ialso feel likeI'mkinda buzzed on this stuff."

"Metoo," she said. "C'mon, let's give the boys something to drool over."

Thenshe pulled me toward where people were dancing and started bouncing to the beat.Ijoined right in, doing my best to dance and drink.Aspenjust laughed, lifting her glass to drain it in a single chug.Whenshe was done, she tossed the empty cup and made a gesture with her fingers.

Thewhole thing simply vanished.Igasped. "Whatdid you..."

"Sentit to the trash," she explained.

SoIlifted my glass and drained it as quickly asIcould. "Dome?"

Adevious little smile curled her lips. "Tease."Butshe flicked her fingers at my now-empty cup, and it disappeared right from my grip.

"Andnow,"Isaid, stepping back and crooking a finger for her to follow, "we can actually dance."

Liftingmy hands over my head,Ididn't care ifIlooked stupid.Ifelt just good enough that it didn't matter.Iwas also having fun.Pure, simple, uncomplicated fun with a friend.Forme, it was basically whatI'dspent the last few years wishing for.Iwasn't going to let this pass me by.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Somewherealong the way, people began to leave.Ididn't notice it happen, which meant it had been a slow thing, but with the fae drink making me feel a little giggly,Ididn't care.Instead, it was the setting sun that made me realizeI'dspent most of mySaturdaydown here having the best time.

Ialso hadn't eaten a thing.Nomorning coffee, no breakfast or lunch, and now it was pushing dinnertime.Iwanted to ask for another glass of whatAspenkept calling "nectar," but which seemed to be tree sap or syrup, yetIknew better.Iwas inebriated and wiped out - a dangerous combination.Aspenmight be able to dance for hours, butTorianhad been playing some pretty jumping stuff, andIcouldn't take anymore.

Wavingher off,Imade my way back to sit down and catch my breath.Iwas pretty sureI'dseen a bench out here somewhere, but not finding it,Iturned around a set of shrubs to claim a boulder.Iknew where that was.I'dfound it a few times today, and all by accident.

Oncemy rump hit the stone,Ikicked my legs out before me, leaned back on my hands, and gulped for a little air.Itdidn't take long beforeAspenfound me like that - and she looked worried.Comingover, she crouched down by my knees.

"I'mso sorry," she said, clasping my leg. "Icompletely forgot.Iwas just having fun, and you kept up, andIdidn't think about the stories of us dancing humans to death.Pleasetell me you're ok?"

"I'mfine,"Ipromised, huffing out a weary laugh. "Littlehot and sweaty, but that's it.Iwas having fun too."

"Ijust don't want to hurt you," she admitted, reaching up to push back my sweaty hair. "Ikinda like you,Rain."

Iglanced over to find her eyes waiting for something.Shelooked worried, soIsmiled.Likethat was some kind of signal, she pushed up and in, her hand finding the side of my face a moment before her lips took mine.Shocked,Igasped, and her tongue took the invitation.Thekiss was hot, fast, and the most passionate thingIcould imagine, butIhad no idea what to do!ThiswasAspen.Shewas my friend.I'dnever kissed agirlbefore!

Itensed and she felt it.Ididn't push her away or scream.Isimply froze.Immediately,Aspenpulled back, pushing to her feet in a single motion.

"Ithought..."Shetook a step back.Thenanother. "Shit.Ijust ruined everything!"

Shespun and was gone.Therewas no flight, no mad dash through the plants.Aspenjust took one step and vanished in the most fae escapeI'dever imagined.Ihadn't even had the chance to say a thing, andIwasn't sure whatIwould've said.Instead,Ilifted my hand to my lips, right where she'd kissed me so hard.

Thekiss had lasted a split second, but her lips had been so soft, nothing like a guy's.Hertouch had been so tender.Nothinglike a guy's.Shesmelled like honeysuckle and a fresh breeze.Shelooked at me like she saw me, not a conquest.Allof those things were so different, and again, nothing like a guy.

AspenFoxliked me likethat, andIdidn't know what to do about it.Shewas so pretty, so different from anyoneI'deverknown before, but wasIeven into girls?Itdidn't bother me if she was, andIcouldn't care less aboutLiamhaving a boyfriend.Iwas cool with anyone being with whoever they wanted.AndI'dseen a few gay and lesbian couples around campus, butI'dalways chased guys.Inoticedguys!Icould tell the girls here were pretty, butHarperwas a bitch andAspenwas my suitemate.

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